שֵׁן
Shen
BDB lists 2 entries for ‘Shen’ fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Noun type
- Proper
- A name of a specific person, place, or people (e.g. Abraham, Zion, Israel).
Every verse where H8129 appears — 1 distinct verse across 1 book. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
1 Samuel 1 verse
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
שן — transliterated Shên — is a Hebrew name carrying the sense “Shen.” A scarce word — 1 verse in all of the Hebrew Bible. More than three-quarters of its appearances fall in 1 Samuel. Its lone occurrence is 1 Samuel 7:12. Each statement above links to its evidence; the full detail follows below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H8129 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 1
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 1 distinct verse.
- 1 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 1 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #6,101
- by frequency
- Rank #6,101 (rank 6,101 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 1 occurrence in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- 1 Samuel 1 verse 100%
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 1 distinct verse.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 1 verse · 100%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 2 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Shen 1×
- American Standard Version†: Shen 1×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Shen 1×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Shen 1×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H8129 across 1† tagged occurrence — most commonly:
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H8129 across 1† tagged occurrence — most commonly:
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H8129 across 1† tagged occurrence — most commonly:
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H8129 across 1† tagged occurrence — most commonly:
Senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 5 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab.
שן I
- 1. tooth:
- a. of man, Ex 21:27(×3) (E), Nu 11:33 (J), Gn 49:12 (poem in J), Am 4:6; Ct 4:2; 6:6, שׁ׳ רֹעָה Pr 25:19, v. II. רעע 2; of lex talionis, שׁ׳ תַּחַת שׁ׳ Ex 21:24 (E), Lv 24:20 (H), שֵׁן בְּשׁ׳ Dt 19:21; irritated by acid Pr 10:26, dulled by it (in proverb of inherited guilt) Je 31:29, 30; Ez 18:2; חָרַק שׁ׳ La 2:16; Jb 16:9 ψ 35:16; 112:10, v. חָרַק; אֶשָּׂא בְשָׂרִי בְשִׁנָּ֑י Jb 13:14 = risk my life (del. עַל־מָה, dittogr.; ‖ נַפְשִׁי אָשִׂים בְּכַפִּי); בְּעוֹר שִׁנָּ֑י 19:20, v. מָלַט Hithp. (other conj. v. Di Bi Bu Du). e.g. Exodus 21:27
- b. of beasts: Dt 32:24, crocodile Jb 41:6, locusts Jo 1:6 (teeth of lions); especially fig. of false prophets Mi 3:5, of foes Zc 9:7, oppressors Jb 29:17, wicked 4:10 ψ 3:8; 58:7; 124:6; of their weapons Pr 30:14 ψ 57:5; of Isr. shattered by י׳ e.g. Deuteronomy 32:24
- c. tooth of a fork, tine, 1 S 2:13 (cf. Dr Sm. 291); of cliff, שֵׁן הַסֶּלַע 14:4(×2), cf. Jb 39:28, הַשֵּׁן 1 S 14:5. e.g. 1 Samuel 2:13
- 2. ivory, of commerce, קַרְנוֹת שֵׁן Ez 27:15 (i.e. tusks?); as material, מִטּוֹת שׁ׳ Am 6:4, כִּסֵּא־שׁ׳ 1 K 10:18 = 2 Ch 9:17, בֵּית הָשּׁ׳ 1 K 22:39, cf. Am 3:15, הֵיכְלֵי שׁ׳ ψ 45:9, also Ez 27:6; Ct 5:14; 7:5. e.g. Ezekiel 27:15
שן II loc. הַשּׁ׳ 1 S 7
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
n.f. 1 S 2:13 (yet m. 1 S 14:5 cf. Dr) tooth, ivory;—שׁ׳ abs. Ex 21:24 +, cstr. v 27 +, שֶׁן־ Dt 32:24; sf. שִׁנּוֹ Ex 21:27; du. שִׁנַּיִם Pr 10:26, cstr. שִׁנֵּי Je 31:29 +; sf. שִׁנֵּיהֶם ψ 124:6, שִׁנֵּימוֹ 58:7, etc.;—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from שן (shên) (H8127) — tooth.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
שֵׁן
- c. (b. h.;
- 1. tooth, tooth-like projection. Sabb. VI, 5 (64ᵇ) שן תותבת ושן של זהב an inserted (natural) tooth or an (artificial) gold tooth; (Bab. ed. שן תותכת שן וכ׳, Ms. O. ושן, v. Rashi a. l.). Ib. 10, v. שׁוּעָל; a. fr.—Esp. (sub. נזק) the damage done by an animal’s eating. B. Kam. 2ᵇ שלשה … הקרן והשן והרגל three chief damages are mentioned (in the Scriptural text) with reference to the ox: damage by the horn, by the tooth, and by the foot. Ib. תולדה דשן, v. נְשִׁיכָה. Ib. שן יש הנאה וכ׳, v. הֶיזֵּק. Ib. אשן ורגל it refers to damages by the tooth and by the foot; שן ורגל היכא כתיבי where is the damage by the tooth or the foot written (in the Biblical text)? Ib. ובער זו השן ubhiʿer (Ex. XXII, 4) this refers to damage by the tooth; a. fr.—Du. שִׁנַּיִים, שִׁנַּיִם, שִׁי׳. Ḥull. I, 2 בכל … והש׳ you may cut ritually with anything, except … with teeth in the jaw. Ib. ואם החליקו שִׁינֶּיהָ and if the teeth of the saw have been made smooth. Keth. 71ᵇ בין שיניה, v. אֶצְבַּע. Ib. 16ᵃ, v. כֶּרֶס. Kel. XIII, 8 שניטלו שִׁינָּיו (a hackle) whose teeth are broken off. Gen. R. s. 33 חשש רבי את שיניו וכ׳ Rabbi suffered from tooth-ache for thirteen years. Keth. 111ᵇ טוב המלבין ש׳ וכ׳ he who causes his neighbor to show the white of his teeth (who makes him cheerful) does better than he who gives him milk to drink. Ib. א"ת לבן ש׳ אלא לבון ש׳ read not l’ben shinnayim (Gen. XLIX, 12) but libbun shinnayim (whitening of teeth, cheerfulness); a. fr.— any organ of the body resembling teeth, gland.—Du. as ab. Y. Yeb. VI, beg. 7ᵇ בית הש׳ that part of the vagina which has glands; מבין הש׳ ולפנים from the glands and farther inside; Nidd. 41ᵇ. Ḥull. 16ᵇ שיניו נושרות the glands of his rectum will fall off; Sabb. 82ᵃ; a. e. e.g. Exodus 22:4
- 3. cliff, peak. Gen. R. s. 74 כשן הזה של וכ׳ (the stone which Jacob put up was) as large as the peak of Tiberias; Yalk. ib. 130; a. e.
- 4. (sub. של פיל) ivory. Num. R. s. 312 (play on מי יג̇ור̇ … חזק כש̇ן̇ (ג̇ר̇ש̇ון̇ who can abide snow and hail, and cold and heat? He who is as strong as ivory (or marble?); אין שן אלא לשון חזק וכ׳ shen has the meaning of strong (ref. to Cant. V, 14); a. e e.g. Song of Solomon 5:14
- 5. marble. Cant. R. to V, 11; Yalk. ib. 991, v. עֶשֶׁת.
שֵׁן ²
- Targ. O. Deut. XXXII, 24. Targ. Ex. XXI, 24. Targ. I Kings X, 22 (v. פִּילָא I). Ib. 18. Targ. I Sam. XIV, 4; a. fr.—Y. Kil. IX, 32ᵇ bot; האי שִׁינָּךְ וכ׳ how is that tooth of thine?; Y. Keth. XII, 35ᵃ bot.; Gen. R. s. 33. Ib. יהב ידיה על שִׁינֵּיה וכ׳ he put his hand on his (Rabbi’s) tooth, and it was cured.—Gitt. 68ᵇ ומנח להו אש׳ דטורא וכ׳ he puts it (the Shamir) on the peak of a mountain, and the mountain bursts. Snh. 96ᵇ תא אש׳ דטורא (Rashi דטורי) come (to Jerusalem) even if it be necessary to march over the cliffs of mountains (differ. in Rashi); Yalk. Is. 287; a. fr.—ש׳ דדור, שן דור pr. n. pl. the Cliff of Dor (v. Hildesh. Beitr. pp. 4; 10). Y. Shebi. VI, 36ᶜ (not דרור); Tosef. Shebi. IV, 11 שורא דרור (corr. acc.); Sifré Deut. 51 [read:] מדבר שר שן דור; Yalk. ib. 874 (corr. acc.).—Pl. שִׁנִּין, שִׁנַּיָּא, שִׁנֵּי, שִׁי׳. Targ. Am. IV, 6 (not שְׁנִין). Targ. Prov. X, 26.—Targ. Jer. XLIX, 16. Targ. Y. Gen. XLIX, 21 (not שֵׁינֵי); a. fr.—Y. Kil. IX, 32ᵇ תלת … חשש (ב)שִׁינּוֹי suffered from tooth-ache for thirteen years. Ib. חד שִׁינַּיי וכ׳ one of my teeth annoys me; (Y. Keth. l. c. חד שינא).—Sabb. 82ᵃ, v. כַּרְכְּשָׁא; a. fr.
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H8129, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Shares the same root
Compare all same-root words → They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Bible dictionary
Public-domain dictionary articles matched to this entry by name (Shen). A biblical name can be shared by more than one person or place, so an article may treat several.
Easton's Bible Dictionary · M. G. Easton, 1897
A tooth, probably some conspicuous tooth-shaped rock or crag (1 Sam. 7:12), a place between which and Mizpeh Samuel set up his "Ebenezer." In the Hebrew the word has the article prefixed, "the Shen." The site is unknown.
Smith's Bible Dictionary · William Smith, 1863
(tooth), a place mentioned only in (1 Samuel 7:12) Nothing is known of it.
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary · Roswell D. Hitchcock, 1869
tooth; ivory; change
Classic public-domain reference works; full attribution on Sources.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 1 verse that also exists in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 1 Hebrew verse it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
